Revolution in Military Affairs Michael Kofman - "There is No Free Lunch in Strategy"
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Nov 17, 2025 
Michael Kofman, a senior fellow and expert on Russian military operations, provides a riveting update on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He explores the strategic misinterpretations of battlefield maps and the evolving nature of drone warfare. Kofman delves into the disconnect between troop presence and control and highlights the shifting casualty patterns affecting logistics and support units. He emphasizes the importance of adapting military structures over mere technology and discusses the ramifications of local battles on political landscapes.
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Drone Engagement Zones Define Control
- The battlefield is a porous series of overlapping drone engagement zones rather than cohesive defensive lines.
- Presence on a map does not equal control because small forward pickets don't hold ground or shape the fight effectively.
Russia Changed The Engagement Geometry
- Russia shifted the engagement zone toward Ukrainian territory by scaling drone production and reorganizing drone employment.
- That shift reduced Ukraine's manpower-offset advantage without eliminating it.
Support Elements Bear The Brunt
- Casualties increasingly fall on support, logistics, and fire networks rather than frontline infantry.
- Drone-centric warfare makes moving support elements in the engagement zone the most dangerous activity.